The Prince's Crown Jewel
by TheObscureFluffs
Summary: When Knuckles, a peasant who can hardly get by, saves a blue hedgehog named Sonic from a couple of thugs, he thinks nothing of it and was just doing what he felt was right. Imagine his surprise when he finds out that the hedgehog's a prince! (AU, Main!Sonic X Boom!Knuckles)
1. Chapter 1

A black cloak covering most of his body, a face of blue dashed away from the castle, trying to be stealthy so not to be seen. He made his way into town, then slowly snuck into an alley, removing his cloak to reveal rather peasant-ish clothes covering his short hedgehog body. He stuffed the cloak into a bag hanging at his side, then attempted to leave the alleyway.

However, his plans were dashed as he felt a strong tug at one of his back quills. He yelped from the pain, then looked behind him to see two rather tall thugs staring back at him.

"Don't think you can hide fr'm us, prince-y," one of them said, a long piece of rope in his hands.

The blue hedgehog shot them a smug look. "Dunno what chu're talkin' about. Search my bag if ya want, I'm just like everyone else."

Inwardly, he was actually pretty concerned. He hadn't been taught combat yet, and he couldn't run away or attempt to attack while his quill was being held so tightly.

One of the thugs smirked. "Heh, you're not foolin' us, kiddo."

Though the blue hedgehog squirmed and struggled, he was forced against the wall and tied up, his legs bound extra tight to make absolutely sure he couldn't run off. He glared up at the thugs and wanted to make a snarky remark, but his mouth had been covered by a bandana that one of them had on hand.

He hated the confinement to no end. Heck, that was the whole reason he left the castle in the first place. But... maybe he'd tempted fate too much by leaving so often? He didn't know...

"Alright, so I say we hold him for ransom," one thug said to the other. His partner nodded. "Right, but first, I don't like that look he's givin' us. Should we teach him a lesson?"

The hedgehog gulped mentally. Okay, so he _definitely_ tempted fate too much...

"Hey, let him go!" a voice suddenly called out.

The three looked to where the voice was coming from and froze. A tall and quite buff red echidna stood there. He was obviously a peasant due to the simple rags we wore, and his arms and legs were covered in bandages.

The captured hedgehog's ears perked up in surprise. The echidna wasn't the tallest guy he'd ever seen, but still, he was _huge_.

The thugs, though looking nervous for a split second, quickly put on brave faces. "H-ha! You think we'll let him go just 'cause you say so?" one of them asked. "This one's ours, bud, a-and you can't have him!" He was clearly nervous about facing the echidna, but maybe, if he worked together with his partner...?

The echidna approached them, an angry look on his face.

"Let. Him. Go," he said sternly, clenching his fists.

The thugs cowered slightly at the echidna's gaze. This guy _clearly_ wasn't fooling around with them.

The hedgehog took a closer look at him; there were two spikes adorning the back of each of his hands. _Sheesh, that guy's probably gonna give those two a real poundin' if they don't listen._

The thugs looked at each other, as if telepathically making a decision, then quickly fled from the alley.

The tied-up hedgehog only wished that the stupid bandana was away from his mouth so he could sigh in relief. There was always the possibility of this echidna being a bad guy, but... there was some sort of strange comfort he felt gazing into his eyes; he had a strong feeling he was safe with him.

The echidna went up to him and removed the bandana. The angry look had gone from his eyes, and now his face was caring and gentle.

"You okay?" he asked the hedgehog as he started untying the ropes that bound him.

The blue hedgehog nodded his head, stretching his limbs slightly. "Y-yeah, thanks," he replied. "Guess I wasn't too careful this time around." He seemed a bit ashamed that he had gotten captured.

"I've never seen you around here before," the echidna mused. "What's your name?"

"Sonic," the hedgehog replied, extending his hand out for a handshake. "I guess y'don't see me too often 'cause I kinda blend in with the crowd."

The echidna shook his hand. He was surprisingly gentle for someone so big and strong.

"I'm Knuckles!" he said. "Nice to meet you, Sonic!"

Sonic smiled. "Nice to meet cha too!"

He took a closer look at Knuckles' clothing, mentally frowning; it always made him a little sad when he saw nice people who were so utterly poor.

"So, what's a cool guy like you doin' lurkin' around here lookin' for blue hedgehogs to save?" he asked jokingly.

"Oh, you know, just trying to get by best I can," Knuckles replied with a sad sigh. "You know how it is, living on the streets 'cause you can't afford anything."

Sonic saddened. "R-right..."

He sighed along with Knuckles, but almost instantly perked up. He turned, then dug into his bag that held the black cloak, pulling out a few bronze rings. "Hey, how about I take ya out to eat? This should be enough, right?" he asked.

"R-really?" Knuckles seemed surprised. "You sure?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah! And hey, if ya feel bad about it, then we'll just say that it's a thanks for rescuin' me, alright?" he asked.

"Well..." Knuckles' stomach growled. "A-alright, I guess we can do that."

Sonic's smile widened. "C'mon then!"

He walked out of the alleyway and started heading towards the nearest place he could think of that sold food. He was pretty sure that he was getting some weird stares due to someone his height traveling with someone so tall, but he didn't mind all that much.

As they entered the building, Knuckles' eyes went wide.

"Wow, I can't remember the last time I saw this much food," he muttered.

Sonic grinned at the echidna's excitement, then found the nearest worker and waved them down. To someone reading this text in a time that was much more advanced than the time Sonic and Knuckles were in, she'd probably be called a 'waitress' or something, but to them, she was a 'serving wench'.

Sonic wanted to give Knuckles the best experience he could, so he decided to ask for the most expensive table around; the one near the window. Hoping that Knuckles didn't know about such things, like the price of a table, he secretly slipped the serving wench a silver ring as payment.

"Wow, this is nice!" Knuckles said as they sat down. "Man, I'm so hungry, I could eat, um... something really big!" He wasn't very good with expressions, it seemed.

Sonic chuckled. "Well, pick out whatever ya want!" he said, watching as the serving wench brought over their 'menus'. It was mostly pictures with the basic ingredients of what went into the dish, and then the price of the dish after that. Sonic hoped that Knuckles couldn't comprehend the higher prices if he wanted to order them.

Knuckles gazed at the menu for a moment. He looked confused.

"I'm not even sure what most of this is," he admitted.

"Just look at the pictures and see what looks good." Even though Sonic said that, he imagined that anything would look good to Knuckles; he was probably starving, poor guy.

"Uh, I think I'll go with that one," he said, a bit overwhelmed by the number of options he had.

Knuckles looked a bit longer, then pointed to something on the menu.

"You can pick more than one if ya want," Sonic offered, wanting to make absolute sure that his new friend had a good meal.

"N-no, the one is fine," Knuckles replied. He didn't want to make Sonic pay too much for his food.

"Y'sure?" Sonic asked. The serving wench came back, and he just shrugged and gave in, pointing to what Knuckles wanted and what he wanted. As he watched the girl walk away, he stared out the window and admired the scenery. "Nice view, huh? Ain't much, but nice."

"It _is_ nice," Knuckles agreed quietly.

"...Soooo," Sonic began, not one to enjoy silence too often. "What do you do? What do ya like?" he asked, curiosity in his emerald eyes.

"Well, I work out a lot!" Knuckles replied. "That's how I got so big and strong," he added proudly. "Oh, and I really love nature!"

Sonic was pleasantly surprised of Knuckles' love of nature. "Yeah? That's way cool! I couldn't tell by lookin' at cha."

Knuckles smiled softly. "I may be a tough guy, but I can be a bit of a softie," he admitted sheepishly.

Sonic giggled. "That's a good quality. Keep hangin' onto that," he told him. "If ya never did, who knows what those two creeps woulda done t'me!"

"Don't mention it," Knuckles replied. "I couldn't just leave ya there, you know?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, I get that. Thanks again!"

The serving wench then brought over their food, and Sonic paid up immediately so the two could leave the second they were done.

"Yours looks good," he commented before promptly digging into his own meal.

Knuckles stared at his food for a moment, like he could barely believe that it was in front of him. Then, he started to dig in. Once his body realized that it was finally being given food, he couldn't stop himself from scarfing down the entire thing.

Sonic watched him eat, unable to help feeling a little sad at how absolutely starved he seemed. "Uh... when did you eat last anyway?" he asked. _For a guy who works out so often, he probably needs a ton of food, right?_

Knuckles swallowed his mouthful of food. "Gosh, I don't even remember," he said, just before taking another bite. "I can usually find enough scraps to get by, but they're not very..." He paused to think of the right word. "...satisfying."

Sonic put on a strained smile so not to seem too upset. "Y-yeah, I guessed that."

 _I just wish I hadn't been right about it..._

Soon, Knuckles had finished his meal. "Oh, thank you..." He sighed in contentment, a smile on his face. "That's the best meal I've had in forever!"

Sonic smiled warmly, finishing his own meal and standing. "How about we get goin' then?" he asked. "Mind takin' a walk with me?"

"Sure!" Knuckles replied, also standing up.

Sonic led Knuckles outside and walked down the pathway with him. "So... you live out in the forest I guess?" he asked, wanting to make idle conversation.

"Pretty much," Knuckles replied. "It's not so bad, really. It's a great place for a nature lover like me!" He hesitated for a moment. "...but it's also really lonely sometimes," he admitted sadly.

Sonic was unusually silent at his words. "...yeah..."

He paused, then quickly perked back up, rushing in front of Knuckles to stop him in his tracks. "Y'know what place has the absolute best flowers ever? The peak of the Polly Mountains!" he exclaimed. "There's this huge garden of 'em laid out there! Wanna go?"

Knuckles gave him a confused look. "But that's really far away!" he pointed out. "It could take days, maybe weeks to get there!"

At this, Sonic gave Knuckles a smug smirk. "Wanna bet?"

He turned away, then lightly jogged a few meters away from Knuckles. He took a deep breath, then bent down to the ground, as if preparing himself for something.

Suddenly, he took off like a rocket, becoming a blur of blue that zoomed past Knuckles in milliseconds. As he reached the end of the pathway, he turned around on a dime and headed back in Knuckles' direction.

With barely a grunt, he picked up the echidna as he reached him despite his diminutive size, speeding out of the town in an instant and heading for the forest.

Knuckles let out a startled yelp. He was too dazed and confused to say anything. He clung onto Sonic for dear life, despite barely registering what was happening.

It was only taking seconds. Sonic sped through the forest, across water, and Polly Mountains was fully in their view in what seemed like no time at all.

He reached the base of the mountains, then ran up them like it was no problem at all. At the peak, like he had said, was a flower garden in the middle of a huge crater. Sonic slid into the crater, then finally set Knuckles down, smirking proudly as he allowed the echidna to catch his breath.

To say Knuckles was stunned would be an understatement.

"Wh-wha... how...?" he stammered.

Sonic laughed cheerfully. "Super speed," he replied, though knowing it wasn't really an answer.

Knuckles was quiet. "...w-wow," was all he could say. "That's...that's amazing!"

Sonic blushed a bit. "Eh, it's nothin' really. I was just born with it!"

He walked over to the flower garden, then smiled and flopped back to lie in some of the flowers. "I come here whenever I've got some spare time. I love the flowers." He curled up into a ball and rolled around in the flowers happily.

Knuckles stood there for a moment longer, then shrugged and joined Sonic in the garden. He knelt down and started smelling the flowers, a bright smile appearing on his face.

"Like 'em?" Sonic asked, uncurling and gazing up at the echidna. "You can take a few back with us if ya want," he told him. "Only when y'wanna leave though, a'course."

"This place is amazing!" Knuckles exclaimed. He wiped at his eyes as tears were starting to form. "It's...it's beautiful!"

Sonic stared at him with surprise at first, then smiled and got a little closer, placing his hand on Knuckles' cheek to wipe some of his tears away with his thumb. "I'll have to take you back here at night. I hear that the flowers can start glowin' if the moon shines just right."

"Oooh!" Knuckles said excitedly. "I've got to see that!"

Sonic nodded. "I haven't seen it myself yet, but I really want to!"

He paused, his smile growing a little weaker. "I heard that it's way better if y'see it with someone else, but I never had anyone to come along with me, so I've been waiting," he explained, trying a little too hard to keep his expression appearing happy.

"Well, you don't have to wait anymore." Knuckles smiled softly. "I'd love to join you!"

Sonic nodded. "Alright. How about tonight then?" He paused for a moment to think. "I'll probably have to go sometime between now and then though, so is there someplace I can meet cha?" he asked.

Knuckles thought for a moment. "How about back in the alley?" he suggested. "You know, where we first met each other?"

Sonic nodded. "That'd be fine by me!"

He relaxed back onto the flowers. "But for now, I think I'm cool here." He smiled, far wider than he usually did; it was clear that he was extremely happy.

"Me too," Knuckles replied with a grin.

He went over to where Sonic was and laid down next to him.

"This is nice..." he said quietly, as he began to relax.

Sonic's smile softened as he saw Knuckles laying next to him. "Mhm..."

The two hung out at the flower garden for at least an hour until finally deciding it was time to go back. Sonic picked Knuckles back up and sped back into town (being a little more gentle with his running this time as he was only showing off before), then set Knuckles down.

"Hopefully you're a little more used to it now," Sonic said with a chuckle. "'Cause we'll have to do it again later tonight!"

Knuckles chuckled lightly. "Just warn me next time, 'kay?"

"Don't worry, I promise," Sonic told him genuinely, giving him a thumb's up. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was suddenly interrupted.

"Prince Sonic! Prince Sonic!"

Sonic flinched at the voices, then turned, seeing some guards from the castle searching for him.

He sighed, but kept on a smile. "Well, looks like my cover's blown."

He sped into a nearby alley, abandoning his peasant clothing. As he walked back out to Knuckles, a small crown adorned his head.

He winked at the echidna. "Lookin' forward to tonight, Knux."

Without letting Knuckles respond, he turned and rushed off towards the guards. Knuckles could only stand there, staring with wide eyes.

 _This whole time, I've been hanging out with the prince?_

For the second time that day, Knuckles was left completely speechless.


	2. Chapter 2

Once the sky turned dark and evening came, Sonic walked down the path in town, no longer wearing his crown yet also not wearing his peasant clothes. Admittedly, he was actually a bit worried about meeting up with Knuckles; though he had left the echidna on a confident note, he was rather concerned that Knuckles would be angry at him for not being honest about his identity. Granted, he never said he was poor or a peasant, but he never said he was a prince either.

He got to the alley where the two had met, then peeked inside to see if Knuckles was there.

Knuckles was indeed there, leaning against a wall. He smiled as he saw Sonic.

"Hey."

Sonic felt a bit of relief wash over him as he saw Knuckles' smile. "Hey!"

He walked closer to the echidna and looked up at him. "You weren't waitin' here too long, were ya? It's hard to sneak outta the castle sometimes, so I had t'wait until the coast was a little more clear."

"Nah, I wasn't waiting too long." Knuckles shook his head and chuckled. "I still can't believe I was hanging out with the prince this whole time!"

Sonic chuckled back. "Yeah, I probably don't look the part at all, huh?" he asked. "'Bow down to your prince... that's the only way you'll be eye-level with him anyway!'" he joked.

Knuckles laughed.

"So... should we get going then? I mean, um, y-your majesty."

Sonic smiled weakly. "Heh, just Sonic's fine. That's why I go in disguise all the time. I just want people to treat me like everyone else, y'know?"

Knuckles nodded. "Sonic it is, then!" he said with a smile.

Sonic nodded and grinned. "So, are ya prepared this time?" he asked, getting into a running position.

Knuckles grinned back. "Ready when you are, Sonic!"

Sonic nodded, then did his thing. He took off in a burst of speed, then grabbed up Knuckles and started to head back to Polly Mountains. "I know it's a bit of a rush, but don't forget to hang on tight!" he told him.

Knuckles didn't need to be told twice.

Sonic got to the mountains, then sped back up to the top, standing on the edge of the crater. He almost dropped Knuckles in surprise.

The moonlight shining almost perfectly down on the crater, the flower garden was practically glowing with all the assorted colors laid out in the variety of flora. It was like a hoard of shimmering gemstones.

"W-whoa..." Sonic uttered, sliding into the crater and releasing Knuckles.

"Wow..." Knuckles breathed. "It's... I can't even think of a good word for it!"

Indeed, the garden looked too beautiful for words.

"Me neither..."

Sonic just breathed in the fresh smell of flowers, unable to comprehend it all.

Then, he sheepishly stared up at Knuckles, a bit of nervousness in his eyes. "...Hey, Knux?"

"Hm?" Knuckles noticed his nervousness. "What it is, Sonic?"

Sonic awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, then smiled shyly. "How'd you like to stay in the castle with me?" he asked. "I-I mean, you'd have to hide out in my room, but... you'd have a place to stay."

Knuckles' eyes widened in surprise. "Y-you'd really do that for me?"

Sonic nodded. "You deserve it!"

"Wh-why are you so nice to me?" Knuckles asked, obviously overwhelmed. "I mean, you're a prince... and I'm some peasant that you just met today!"

Sonic frowned, placing his hands on his hips. "You're not just 'some peasant', Knux. You're a real nice guy, and ya proved it by savin' me earlier. I'm not repayin' some debt or think I owe ya; I just wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowin' that you're livin' the way ya are now," he told him. "I want to help you."

Tears came to Knuckles' eyes. He rushed forward and threw his arms around Sonic.

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you..."

Sonic couldn't help a mild blush on his face. He had to admit; up close, the echidna was actually really warm. It was nice.

"Heh, no need to thank me," he said, waving a hand dismissively.

Knuckles wiped the tears from his eyes.

"You're the nicest guy I've ever met, Sonic," he said with a smile, still hugging his new friend.

Sonic blushed a bit more. "Ah, stop!" He chuckled sheepishly, absolutely flattered.

He paused, then frowned a bit, gazing at Knuckles. "So, uh... not that it isn't nice, but... what is this exactly?" he asked.

Knuckles pulled away from the hug, but placed his hands on Sonic's shoulders.

"Don't tell me you've never been hugged before!" he said, shocked.

Sonic shook his head in reply. "Hugged?"

Knuckles' jaw dropped. "I can't believe this is your first hug!" he exclaimed. "And I got to be the first person to hug the prince," he added, giggling lightly.

Sonic smiled, a bit innocently. "So, what do I do then...?" he asked, raising his hands slightly and waiting for orders.

"Well, um... you can hug back, I guess?" Knuckles replied. "You just do this," he added, wrapping his arms around Sonic again.

"Uh... like this?" Sonic asked, slowly wrapping his arms around Knuckles.

"Yeah, like that!" Knuckles replied, blushing at being hugged by Sonic.

Sonic smiled and embraced Knuckles a little tighter, quite liking the hug. "Is there a time where I'm s'posed to let go?"

"U-um... I'm not sure," Knuckles replied, laughing sheepishly. "I've never taught anyone how to hug before."

"Oh." Sonic waited a few seconds, then reluctantly let go of Knuckles. "Not bad for my first try, eh?" he asked, looking a little hopeful.

"You did great!" Knuckles responded with a grin.

Sonic grinned back, then sat down in front of the flowers. "So, y'wanna hang here a little longer, or should we settle you into your new home?" he asked.

"Your new home." Knuckles smiled.

"I think I wanna stay here a little longer," he said, sitting down next to Sonic.

"Sure! We can stay here as long as ya like," Sonic told him, clearly not minding the decision one bit. He gazed back at the flowers, his smile widening as the glow shimmered off his emerald eyes.

"These are the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen," Knuckles mused in quiet awe. "Thanks so much for bringing me here."

"Don't mention it," Sonic said softly. "I should be thankin' you instead for comin' with me."

Knuckles blushed slightly. He said nothing, but he grinned wide.

Eventually, it was getting far too late for the two to stay any longer, and Sonic picked Knuckles back up before heading out; any later and it would've been too dark to see.

"Hang on tight, okay?" Sonic warned. Once he felt that Knuckles' grip was secure enough, he sped towards the castle and went straight up the wall, going into one of the second-story windows.

There, the two found themselves in Sonic's bedroom. It wasn't too fancy, but it definitely wasn't a commoner's room either; Sonic clearly added a few of his own touches.

The blue hedgehog set Knuckles down, then checked the door to ensure it was securely locked before turning back to him. "Like it?"

Knuckles looked around, his eyes wide in amazement. "Wow... yeah!"

Sonic grinned wide, then spread his arms out. "In that case, welcome home!" he exclaimed.

Knuckles teared up again and smiled wide.

"Home..." He loved the sound of that word.

"Yup! Home!" Sonic confirmed. He sat on the bed, then lightly patted the blanket underneath him. "You'll sleep here."

"But isn't that your bed?" Knuckles asked, confused.

Sonic stared down at the bed, then looked back at Knuckles and shrugged. "Yeah, and now it's yours." He smirked. "Congratulations."

"But where will you sleep?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic shrugged. "There's extra blankets and sheets and stuff in the huge box over there," He pointed, "so I'll probably just put 'em on that and make that my bed. You wouldn't fit on it anyway, and there's no way I'm lettin' you sleep on the floor."

"B-but you're the prince," Knuckles insisted, "and I'm just a peasant. You shouldn't let me take your bed from you!"

Sonic leaned back slightly, giving him a pout. "Don't suppose I could just order ya to take the bed then since I'm a prince?" he asked. He had a strong feeling that Knuckles would reject the 'order', but he tried; it wasn't like he was gonna send Knuckles to the dungeon for refusing.

"I just..." Knuckles looked down at his shoes. "I just don't think I deserve it. Plus, I'd feel bad for making you sleep somewhere else..."

Sonic frowned sadly, letting out a small sigh. "So that's how you're gonna be, huh?" he asked. He looked back, then grabbed one of the two pillows lying on the bed. It probably wouldn't be big enough for them to lay side by side.

"C'mere," he said, trying to say it as an order, but also being rather gentle.

"Um, okay." Knuckles obeyed. "Now what?"

"Lay down," Sonic told him, pointing to the remaining pillow. "Trust me."

"Okay..." Knuckles laid himself down on the bed. He had to admit, it was the most comfortable thing he'd ever laid on.

"So now what?" he asked again.

Sonic smiled at him, then crawled over to the foot of the bed, positioning himself perpendicular to Knuckles. He set the pillow down, then laid his head on it, curling up much like a kitten would in order to take up the least amount of space possible.

Knuckles couldn't help but giggle. Sonic just looked so cute like that.

"Alright, I guess that works," he said with a chuckle.

"So we've got a compromise then?" Sonic asked, smiling at him.

Knuckles grinned. "Sure."

He yawned suddenly. "Oh man, I'm tired..."

"Get some sleep," Sonic muttered softly. "You earned it." He slowly drifted off himself.

Knuckles' eyes drooped. The warmth of the cozy bed soon carried him off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Hours later, when light began to shine through the window, Sonic slowly began to stir, sitting up and letting out a soft yawn. He gazed over at Knuckles, then smiled. He didn't want to disturb the echidna, so he opted to lay back down and watch him; if he fell back asleep, that'd be fine too, but he wanted to at least be in the room when Knuckles woke up.

Eventually, Knuckles began to stir as well, his eyes fluttering open. He looked confused for a moment, then seemed to remember where he was.

"Is it morning already?" he asked sleepily.

"Yup," Sonic replied with a nod. "Why, y'wanna go back to bed?"

"I kinda want to," Knuckles admitted. His stomach growled. "I'm hungry though," he added, smiling sheepishly.

"I figured you'd be."

Sonic slowly climbed out of bed, then headed over to his door and opened it. He looked left, looked right, then glanced at Knuckles. "I'll be right back, okay? Stay here." And with that, he closed the door behind him and ran off.

Knuckles relaxed as he waited, smiling to himself. Yesterday he'd been living on the streets, eating nothing but scraps, and now he was living with the prince himself! It was amazing how quickly his life had changed, he thought.

After a minute or so, Sonic came back in, closing and locking the door to ensure that no one would get in. He turned to Knuckles, holding a large tray of food in his hand.

He sat down next to Knuckles, then moved back so his legs were fully sprawled out on the bed. He set the tray down on his legs and smiled over at his friend. "Pick whatever you want and dig in," he told him, grabbing a bowl and eating its contents.

Knuckles stared at the tray for a moment. He'd never seen this much food in all his life! After a moment, he chose a random dish and began to eat.

"Mmm..." he said in between bites. "This is _so_ good!"

"Eat as much as ya want!" Sonic exclaimed. "I eat like this everyday, so I'm _definitely_ not gonna starve if you take most of it," he assured.

Knuckles smiled. He continued to eat, soon finding himself feeling full; a feeling that he hadn't felt in forever.

"I didn't even know I could eat that much!" he said with a laugh.

Sonic laughed along with him. "Just means ya got a healthy appetite, I guess!" he joked.

Knuckles sighed contentedly.

"So... what do you like to do?" he asked.

"Me?" Sonic asked, pointing to himself. He wasn't used to being asked things about himself. "Uh, well, when I'm not lounging around and relaxing, I usually go for a run, especially if I hear about a place with a great view. If I want a challenge, I'll go into the forest and swerve in and out of the trees and see how long it takes until I slam into somethin'." He paused, then shrugged slightly. "Never had friends, so I pretty much hang out by myself until the guards come to get me or I get bored."

"Hm." Knuckles was thoughtful. "I noticed that you don't really seem to know how to defend yourself. I...I could teach you, if you wanted."

Sonic blushed in embarrassment as he was reminded of the fact. "Y-yeah, they haven't really taught me combat yet. I can do _this_ ," He curled up in a ball and rolled around the room at a fast pace, even bouncing around a little," and that's kinda useful, but I guess I never really had any lessons." He stared up at Knuckles, then chuckled. "Y'really think you could teach a hopeless guy like me?" he asked.

"I'm sure I can!" Knuckles replied with a wink.

"How can I say 'no' then?" Sonic said with a smile, winking back at him.

He brought Knuckles back outside, then into the forest, where there was a large open area with absolutely no trees at all.

"This should work, right?" he asked, getting into a ready stance and punching the air a few times just to play around.

"Yep!" Knuckles replied. "You ready to start?" he added with a grin.

"Ehh..." Sonic looked at his fists, a little unsure. "I guess so?"

"Don't worry, you can do this!" Knuckles encouraged. "Just follow my lead."

And so, the training began.

Sonic was a bit nervous about fighting Knuckles, but he did his best. Though his form was a bit sloppy at first, Knuckles was patient with him and what he lacked in strength, he more than made up for in speed. At the very least, Knuckles was a good teacher.

They went on for what was probably a couple hours. Sonic still had a good charge of stamina, so he was just as ready as when they had started.

"Alright, here I come!" he shouted as he flipped backwards. He curled into a spindash, then gave Knuckles only a few seconds to prepare before launching himself at him.

Knuckles went to 'defend' himself... only to accidentally hit Sonic a little too hard.

Sonic was quickly sent flying backwards, uncurling the second he hit the ground. He tumbled about for a moment, then put a hand to his head, wincing in pain.

 _Sheesh, that stings!_ he thought, doing his absolutely best to remain 'cool' and utterly failing.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Knuckles rushed over to his side and kneeled down.

"I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed. "Where did I hurt you?"

"A-angh..." Sonic whined, staring up at Knuckles. He didn't mean for small tears to form in his eyes, but _wow_ , did it sting. Hesitantly, he moved his hand out of the way to reveal a large mark forming on his forehead. "I-it's fine. N-no big d-deal..." he tried to insist.

"Stay here," Knuckles said gently.

He went off into the woods. Sometime later, he came back with some crushed herbs.

"Hold still." He gently pressed the herb mixture to Sonic's forehead, gingerly rubbing it for a few minutes.

"There," he said with a smile. "Oh, one more thing!"

He grabbed some vines and carefully wrapped them around the injury.

"Until we can get bandages," he explained.

Sonic flushed pink from the treatment he was getting. "R-really, it's nothin'," he argued.

"No, it's not nothing," Knuckles insisted. "I hurt you, and now I'm going to make it better."

He wrapped his arms Sonic and cuddled him, hoping it might help a bit. He even gave Sonic's injury a light kiss, then blushed in embarrassment.

Sonic squirmed and whimpered at the extra attention he was getting, but he couldn't deny that he enjoyed it at least a little.

Once Knuckles' lips came in contact with his wound though, he became confused. His face was suddenly flushed red and he didn't understand why.

"...W-what was that?" he asked, looking up at Knuckles with a puzzled expression.

"You...you've never been kissed before either?" Knuckles was really shocked now. Did nobody show Sonic any kind of affection?

Sonic shook his head. "No, I haven't."

"Wow..." Knuckles saddened at this. "Nobody hugs or kisses you. Does anyone even tell you that they love you?"

Sonic stared blankly at him. "Huh? Is... that a big deal?" he asked, looking like he had no clue what Knuckles was talking about.

"Yes, it's a big deal!" Knuckles exclaimed, hardly believing what he was hearing. "Do...do you even know what love is?"

"Uh, I mean... a little, I think?" Sonic put on a nervous face. "I'm pretty sure I read about it in a book once. Er... I know you say it when you really like something..." He paused, then lowered his head, embarrassed. Really, he hardly knew anything about the subject.

Knuckles paused to think. _How do you explain love?_

He cleared his throat. "Well, um, it's like... when you really care about someone, and you want to show them that. Like when you help someone and don't ask for anything in return; that's love. Or, when you care more about someone else than yourself; that's love. Or, if you'd risk your life to keep someone else safe; that's love too. It's...it's both something you do and something you feel. Some people show it by doing nice things for other people, and some people like to show love by hugging and kissing and stuff." He sighed. "I'm probably not making any sense here, am I?"

"No, I think I got it," Sonic replied with a firm nod. "I knew about marriage and stuff, just... not the love that came with it."

He looked down, then quickly noticed how dirty he and Knuckles were. "Oh! Uh... we were at it for a while, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah," Knuckles replied. "Wanna call it a day?"

Sonic nodded. "That's probably for the best. We're gonna need a bath too it looks like," he replied.

"Yeah," Knuckles replied with a laugh. He paused for a moment.

"...what's a bath?"

"Well—" Sonic paused, gazing at Knuckles. "You've... never had a real bath?" he asked.

"Nope," Knuckles admitted. "When I get dirty, I just get some wet cloth and wash myself."

Sonic tilted his head. "We'll have to fix that then!"

He got out of Knuckles' grasp, then picked him up and sped back to the castle, going right into his room as usual.

"Let's see..."

He set Knuckles down, then gazed at his shoes to get a rough measurement. "I'm gonna go call one of the maids and see what they can do," he said. He opened his door, looking around cautiously, then sped out.

Knuckles stood and waited, wondering what a bath would be like.

Sonic came back a minute or so later, giving Knuckles a small smile. "Alright, she'll get cha a new pair of shoes, okay?" he asked. "Now follow me, but be stealthy about it. The bathing room isn't too far," he told him, grabbing Knuckles' hand and leading him down the hall.

"Uh, okay."

Knuckles tried to walk as quietly as he could. He wasn't exactly known for stealth, but he tried his best.

Sonic led him down a few more hallways, then opened a door and walked inside, the warm humid air hitting them immediately.

Inside the room was a gigantic square-shaped bathtub with water that seemed about two feet deep. Various soaps and towels lined the side of the room, and Sonic looked up to Knuckles happily as he closed the door behind them. "How's it look? Feels nice just to be in here, huh?"

"It does," Knuckles agreed. "So... what am I supposed to do?" he asked.

"First, you'll have to get all that fabric off of ya; y'don't want it gettin' wet," Sonic said, sitting down on the floor and slowly removing his gloves and shoes.

"O-okay." Knuckles' face flushed a bit as he started removing the rags he wore. He was covered in quills and fur, so he wasn't technically naked, but it still felt kind of weird to be doing this around someone else.

Sonic pointed to his bandages. "Those'll probably have to go too unless they're water-proof," he said.

"W-well, I, um..." Knuckles glanced away from Sonic uneasily. "I...I'd rather not take them off..."

"Huh? But, they're gonna get wet..." Sonic warned.

"I-I know..." Knuckles sighed. "I just don't wanna take them off, okay?"

By the look on his face and sound of his voice, he was clearly distressed about something.

Sonic raised a brow, then stood up and walked over to him, reaching for one of his bandages. "We can get you better ones, Knux. It's not a big de—"

He paused and stopped pulling at the bandages, jumping back a little. A scar had been hiding underneath the bandage. "K-Knux..."

Knuckles whimpered, quickly moving a hand to cover the scar.

"I-it's nothing," he stammered. "It's old."

Sonic frowned, walking back up to him and pushing his hand out of the way. "...Does it hurt?"

"N-no," Knuckles replied. "I-it just reminds me... I _don't_ wanna talk about it!"

"Knux," Sonic said softly. "I don't care how many scars or whatever you have. We're friends, aren't we?" he asked. "We can cover you back up later. No one else has to see, okay?"

"O-okay," Knuckles replied nervously.

He trembled a bit as the bandages slowly came off, not used to letting anyone see his old scars. There were a whole lot of them too.

"There, that's what I was hiding. Are you happy now?" It sounded like he was about to cry.

Sonic didn't answer. He just stared at Knuckles with the smile he'd always given him, his eyes showing no sign of judgement or disgust. He didn't care how the guy looked; he was his best friend, after all. That was all that mattered to him.

Knuckles stared at his scars. "I've had them covered for so long..." he admitted. "Seeing them again..." He turned his head away and grimaced, as if remembering something upsetting.

"...Y'don't have to talk about it if ya don't want to," Sonic told him. "...but I'm here to listen if you do."

Knuckles was silent for a while.

"Well..." he began quietly. "I wasn't always as strong as I am now. When I was just a kid, everyone b-beat me up all the time. I never had much since I'm poor, but what I did have... th-they stole it all from me... a-and I just couldn't defend myself..."

He trailed off as he stared at his now exposed scars. His vision blurred as tears formed in his eyes.

"It was like a nightmare, Sonic. Only, I couldn't wake up from it, because it was real."

He closed his eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks.

Sonic cursed his inability to properly wipe Knuckles' tears away due to their size difference. "Knuckles... hey."

He settled for grabbing the echidna's hand with both of his. "That happened in the past, didn't it? Look at you now! You're strong, kind, and I bet you could take down any guy that tries to beat you up again!" he stated boldly. "And... if ya couldn't..."

He pulled Knuckles down into a sitting position, then placed his hands on his shoulders. "Then I'd step in, alright? I wouldn't let anyone lay a hand on you like that ever again!" he told him, lightly wiping Knuckles' tears away with his hands. "Promise."

Knuckles smiled through his tears. "Y-you mean it?"

Sonic nodded, holding his fist up. "Of course I mean it! I care about ya, Knuckles..." he replied softly, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

Knuckles threw his arms around Sonic.

"Thanks," he said quietly. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

Sonic giggled and hugged him back. "Nah, I think I've got a pretty good understandin' of it... you're still here with me after all, right?" he asked.

"Mhm," Knuckles replied with a nod.

He pulled away from the hug.

"So... how about that bath?" he said with a chuckle.

"Oh, right!" Sonic smiled sheepishly, then headed over to another side of the room and grabbed some soap. Afterwards, he slipped into the warm water and gestured for Knuckles to come in as well.

Knuckles cautiously tested the water, then slipped into the tub when he felt how warm and relaxing it was.

"This is nice..." He sighed happily.

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, but I think I'm gonna have a better time washing myself than you," he said with an amused smirk. With the two feet deep water, it nearly came up to Sonic's neck, yet didn't even come up to Knuckles' waist.

"I'll manage," Knuckles replied.

Sonic grinned. "I'm sure ya will."

He broke the soap bar in half, then tossed one half to Knuckles. Being an example, he dunked the soap in the water, then ran it across his arm, which he lifted out of the water briefly to show how it was getting all soapy and white from the rubbing. "Like that," he said before continuing to soap the rest of his body.

"Ohhhh."

Knuckles figured it out pretty quickly, and after a little while he was squeaky clean. He sat back in the warm water, relaxing.

Sonic removed the vines from his head, then washed what they covered. Afterwards, he went over to a corner of the bath and glanced over at Knuckles. "You sure you're clean?" he asked. He grabbed onto a small lever, then pulled it downwards. Water seemed to drain from the bath for a second until the ceiling opened up above them, a large body of water easily covering the width of the pool coming down and washing right over them, filling the bath right back up. Sonic laughed, knowing that he'd probably surprised Knuckles a lot with that since it soaked them even more.

"H-hey!"

Knuckles shook the excess water off of him like a dog.

"What was that?"

"Extra feature I got put into the castle," Sonic told him, chuckling. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself!"

"Oh yeah?" Knuckles said with a smirk. "Take this!"

He splashed the water towards Sonic, quickly soaking him too.

"Ah, hey!" Sonic yelped, laughing a bit as he got soaked. "So y'wanna play, huh?" he asked, strolling up to Knuckles. "Let's play!"

He leapt onto the echidna, hoping to knock him over as he started to wrestle with him.

Knuckles, however, had the upper hand. With a smirk, he managed to push Sonic down into the water... headfirst.

At first, Sonic had on a confident front, starting to think up a plan to give Knuckles a surprise.

However, something caught up with him as he was trapped underneath the water. His confidence failed, disappearing entirely as he started to panic, squirming in Knuckles' grasp and gasping for air even though he wasn't running out of breath yet. Suddenly, he was terrified.

Knuckles noticed Sonic's panic, and quickly lifted him out of the water.

"Are you okay?" he asked, very concerned.

In a swift motion, Sonic grabbed Knuckles' shoulders and pulled himself up, his legs clinging to the echidna's waist. He shook uncontrollably, his breathing heavy. "I-I..."

Knuckles wrapped his arms around him securely. He wasn't sure why Sonic was so scared, but he knew that his friend needed comforting.

"Shhh, it's okay..." he soothed. "You'll be okay."

"S-sorry," Sonic stammered, trying to compose himself. "I..." He winced, not liking to admit it. "I can't stand deep water; scares me half to death. E-even before—" His grip on Knuckles. "Even before m-my brother and sister ended up d-drownin', I-I still hated the water. S-so, when I get held down like that... when I get trapped underwater, I-I just..." His voice slowly trailed off.

"I'm so sorry," Knuckles replied sadly, hugging Sonic a little tighter. "I'll make sure not to do that again. Ever."

"Y-you didn't know," Sonic mumbled, unable to help himself from nuzzling Knuckles slightly. "Let's just... g-get outta the water and dry ourselves off, alright?"

"Alright."

Knuckles held onto Sonic as he stepped out of the tub, then gently set him down on the floor.

Sonic took a breath as he was set down, then walked over to one of the towels and started drying himself off, also offering a towel to Knuckles. "H-here."

"Thanks."

Knuckles dried himself off. Now that he was clean, his quills and fur were an even brighter red than before.

Suddenly, his stomach growled.

Sonic turned as he finished drying himself. "Hungry?" He held up a hand. "Gimme a sec."

In a swift blur, Sonic rushed about and picked up all of their clothes, promptly speeding out the door. Almost instantly, he came back, carrying clothes for himself, a roll of bandages, and a brand new pair of shoes for Knuckles. "We should prob'ly get dressed first."

"Oh, right. We should," Knuckles replied with a chuckle.

"Lemme know how these fit," Sonic told him, holding out the new pair of shoes. "I had to guess your size. Hopefully they're not too, uh... weird-looking." The shoes were a dull red and yellow, adorned with a gray plate at the top and red ridges at the front.

Knuckles slipped the shoes onto his feet with ease.

"Wow, these are really comfortable," he mused.

Sonic grinned. "I asked the maid to find me a pair of shoes that were cooler than I was so they'd be perfect for a friend of mine," he said, though quickly blushing as he realized what he'd said.

Knuckles smiled. "Thanks. They're nice!"

Sonic nodded, then slipped on his own clothing, though they were only his socks, shoes, and gloves.

"So..." He picked up the bandages. "Y'sure you wanna cover up?" He smiled warmly at Knuckles, wrapping the bandages around his own wound. "I think y'look just fine."

Knuckles blushed at that, but he nodded.

"Yeah, I want that covered back up. They bring back bad memories..."

He smiled. "Talking to you about it _did_ make me feel a lot better though!"

"No problem! Anything for you," Sonic chimed. "Here, I'll help out with your bandages."

He went over to Knuckles, then started wrapping the bandages around his arms and legs.

"Thanks," Knuckles said to him, still smiling.

"Aaaaand there!" Sonic exclaimed as he finished up. "Doesn't look exactly like how it did before, but is it alright?" he asked, wanting to make sure.

"Looks good to me!" Knuckles replied. "So, can we eat now?"

Sonic chuckled. "Yeah, sure!"

He paused, his smile becoming more sheepish. "Ah, but first... y'know about the festival goin' on tonight, right?" he asked.

"Festival?" Knuckles was curious. "I've heard of those, but I've never been to one."

"Yeah... I was wonderin' if you'd like t'go with me," Sonic told him, lightly rubbing an arm. "Wouldn't be any fun alone..."

Knuckles grinned. "You kidding? Of course I'd like to go with you!"

Sonic's face instantly lit up with excitement. "Awesome! I can't wait!"

He then chuckled. "But, heh, while we wait, we can go get something to eat."

The two stealthfully made their way back to Sonic's room, eating their lunch once Sonic snuck it back to his room. Not able to explore the castle obviously, they just spent time together as usual until nightfall came.


	4. Chapter 4

Sonic got up, then leaned out the window to check out the town in the distance, seeing a bunch of lights flickering on. "Yep, the festival's just starting," he said cheerfully, pulling out a small bag that had more than enough rings in it for the two to have a good time. "I sneak out whenever a festival's happenin'. Trust me, Knux, you'll love it!" he exclaimed.

"I can't wait!" Knuckles exclaimed excitedly. "And my first festival will be even more fun since I have a friend to go with!"

"Yup! That's the plan!"

The two escaped out the window, then headed for town, Sonic unable to contain his innocent excitement. The lights were shimmering beautifully, and everything was so colorful. "There's even more stuff than last year. Where do we start?" He sped around in short bursts, gazing at each and everything he could.

"Hey, what's that?" Knuckles pointed at a large tent.

Sonic looked over, then read the sign. "Fortune Teller..." He turned to Knuckles. "It's someone who's supposed to be able to predict your future," he explained.

Knuckles raised a brow.

"Really?" He was intrigued now.

Sonic shrugged. "Not sure if I buy it, but it might be fun just to see what happens if y'wanna give it a try," he replied.

"Sure!" Knuckles responded with a grin.

The two headed inside the tent, where they were quickly greeted by a pink hedgehog. "Hello. Have you come to get your fortunes told?" she asked.

Sonic nodded, pulling out a silver ring and tossing it to her. She smiled, then pulled out a small deck of cards. "Take a seat please."

Sonic glanced over at Knuckles, then shrugged and sat down at one of the two empty seats.

Knuckles sat down in the seat next to him. He glanced over at his friend and smiled.

Sonic smiled back.

"Okay, let's see..." the pink hedgehog murmured. She shuffled the cards, back and forth, again and again, then suddenly stopped, a single card sticking out from the deck somehow. She grabbed it, reading the front, then smiled and turned it over to face Sonic and Knuckles. "The one you're destined to be with is closer than you might think."

Sonic raised a brow, staring at the card. It was just a heart, with the card kind of having a reflective quality to it; he could even see himself and Knuckles in the reflection.

Knuckles blushed at seeing him and Sonic reflected in the heart, but he wasn't sure why.

 _"...closer than you think." I wonder what she means by that..._

"What does that mean anyway?" Sonic asked, frowning.

The pink hedgehog shook her head. "You'll figure it out soon enough, I'm sure. Thank you for coming though!"

Sonic was confused, but got up and left the tent with Knuckles. "Do you have any idea about what she meant?"

Knuckles shrugged. "I'm not sure either."

"Ah, well. At least it was pretty cheap; well, for me anyway."

He walked a bit more down the path with Knuckles, and his nose quickly caught a scent. "Ah, festival food!" he chimed. He followed the scent to a small booth that sold snacks, then turned to Knuckles. "Hungry?"

"Yep!" Knuckles replied eagerly.

He sniffed the air. "Mmm, it all smells so good! Where do I start?"

Sonic chuckled. "Don't worry. You can start wherever."

He paid for a few random items, most of them for Knuckles as he obviously had the bigger stomach of the two. Sonic ate at his own snack, though at an unusually slow pace. He couldn't stop thinking back to that fortune teller. _"The one you're destined to be with is closer than you might think."_

What did that mean? It was starting to bother him. It seemed so simple. _"Destined to be with"_ ; so, like, a girlfriend or boyfriend? _"Closer than you think"_ ; the problem there was that he never really thought about how far away someone meant for him would be. Regardless, he felt like he was missing something.

As he looked over at Knuckles, it finally hit him. It didn't make sense for the fortune teller to give them one fortune when he paid for two... unless that fortune rang true for both of them. And the reflection...

 _...No... no way. Me and Knuckles? But..._

 _"Well, um, it's like... when you really care about someone, and you want to show them that. Like when you help someone and don't ask for anything in return; that's love. Or, when you care more about someone else than yourself; that's love. Or, if you'd risk your life to keep someone else safe; that's love too."_

 _"I just wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowin' that you're livin' the way ya are now. I want to help you."_

 _"Heh, no need to thank me."_

 _"I wouldn't let anyone lay a hand on you like that ever again."_

 _"I care about ya, Knuckles..."_

 _"Anything for you!"_

 _...O-oh... uh oh..._

Suddenly, Sonic's face was turning red, and he couldn't bring himself to look at Knuckles anymore. Gosh, he really hoped the echidna couldn't hear his intense heartbeat...

Knuckles noticed Sonic's flustered state.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked in concern. "You're turning even redder than me!"

Sonic turned away from him in a mild panic. "No—I-I mean, it's nothing!" he tried to to insist. "I-I was just thinkin' about somethin', heh!"

 _Does...does this mean I'm s'posed to confess? But... augh, if Knuckles didn't figure it out, does that mean he doesn't feel the same way about me? I'd look like such an idiot if I admitted somethin' like this to him..._

Knuckles wasn't buying it. "You sure you're okay? If something's bugging you, you can tell me about it."

Sonic clutched his chest in hopes of calming his nerves. "Y-yeah, I'm fine!" _Ugh, there_ _'s_ _no way he_ _'_ _s gonna go for that._

"I'll, uh... tell ya later, okay?"

Knuckles still didn't believe him, but he wasn't going to make Sonic talk if he didn't want to.

"Hey, what's that?" He pointed to one of the booths.

Sonic looked over, glad to be distracted from the sudden curveball he'd just been thrown.

"Oh, that's a usual thing here. You pay and they give you some sort of challenge, like tossin' a ring and havin' it land on a bottle or somethin'. If you win, you get a prize," he explained.

"Sounds fun!" Knuckles replied. "Can...can I give it a try?"

"Sure!" Sonic said with a nod. He walked up to the booth, then looked over at the man inside. "What's this game about?"

The man gestured to a bunch of bottles stacked on top of each other. "Throw a ball and knock down the bottle pyramid there. If you get 'em all, you'll win a prize!"

Sonic smiled and looked over at Knuckles, holding a ring out to him so he could pay for the game. "Y'wanna play this? It's not as easy as ya might think!" He knew this particular game well; it wasn't all about strength, and if you didn't aim right, you were bound to lose. Still, maybe Knuckles could pull it off?

"Of course I want to play!" Knuckles replied.

After the game was paid for, Knuckles took the ball in his hand. He aimed best he could, then threw. Unfortunately, he only managed to knock a few of the bottles over.

"Aw..." He pouted in disappointment.

Sonic frowned, feeling bad for him. "Let me give it a try."

He paid for another game, then was handed a ball. He reeled back, sticking his tongue out slightly to the side, then threw. At first, he thought he miscalculated, but all the bottles were swiftly knocked down.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, pumping his fists out in victory.

"Good job! And your prize?" The man side-stepped so Sonic could see all the available prizes.

"Hmm... _that one_!" he said, pointing to a medium-sized plush of a chao.

As he was handed the prize, he quickly turned to Knuckles. "Here." He held the plush out to him, a silly smile on his face.

Knuckles blushed. "Th-thanks."

He took the plush and hugged it close. Sonic smiled, happy to have pleased him.

The two spent a bit more time in the festival, going around and playing various games. It was only once Sonic noticed something that he stopped.

"Hey, Knux!" He grabbed the echidna's hand and started lightly running towards the castle. "Quick, come with me!"

"Uh... okay." Knuckles wasn't sure what was going on, but he followed Sonic.

As soon as the two got to the castle, Sonic picked Knuckles up and sped up the the entire building, stopping as he reached the roof. He set Knuckles down, almost bouncing excitedly. "Alright, now sit down," he told him, sitting down himself.

"Okay."

Knuckles sat down next to Sonic. "Now what?"

"Just wait," Sonic said, pointing up at the sky. Though it took a few seconds, something suddenly shot up into the sky, exploding into a bright array of red.

"They set up fireworks!" he exclaimed. "This is the best view for it."

"I've never seen fireworks before!" Knuckles said in awe. "They're pretty!"

"Yeah, I think it's the best part of the whole festival!"

Sonic gazed over at Knuckles happily, though quickly averted his gaze as his heart started pounding again. _Aw man..._

"...Hey, uh, Knux?" he asked. "You remember all that 'love' stuff you were talkin' about...?"

"Yeah?"

Knuckles turned to look at Sonic. "What about it?"

"Well... I was just wonderin'; there's s'posed to be someone for everyone, right?" he asked. "That's a more special love, isn't it?"

Knuckles thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, it is," he agreed. _...why am I blushing?_

"...What do those kinds of people do exactly?" he asked. "To show that they, uh... love each other, I mean." He figured he must've sounded pretty stupid at that moment. "You talked about hugs and kisses and stuff, didn't you?"

"Y-yeah," Knuckles replied. His cheeks were growing warm. "I think those people kiss each other on the lips or something too."

"Oh." Sonic blushed at the thought. "How is someone supposed to confess that kinda thing anyway?" He smiled weakly. "Seems hard."

"I...I don't know," Knuckles admitted. "I guess you'd just tell them or kiss them or something."

Sonic sheepishly scratched his cheek. "I figured somethin' like that, heh..."

He gazed back at the fireworks uneasily. This was _so_ much harder than he thought it'd be.

 _C'mon, Sonic! If he's really your best friend, it shouldn't even matter, right?_

He sighed, then lightly rubbed his forehead where the bandages were covering his wound. "...So... your kiss from before right here... was to make me feel better, right?" he asked.

"W-well, yeah..." Knuckles couldn't figure out why he was so nervous all of the sudden. "Wh...why do you ask?"

 _Well... worth a shot, I guess._ "...Can you do it again?" Sonic asked, looking over to him.

"Oh, um...sure." Knuckles was taken by surprise. But if Sonic wasn't feeling better yet, he'd help. He leaned over and kissed the spot where Sonic's bandages were.

Sonic blushed, then averted his gaze. "... _Not there_ ," he muttered.

Knuckles tilted his head in confusion. "Where, then?"

Sonic paused for a moment, not quite sure how to respond, then looked up at his friend shyly, pointing to his mouth and giving his best attempt at a smirk.

Knuckles blushed hard. "You...you want me to..."

 _Wait..._ _does Sonic..._ _LOVE, love me?_

Sonic nodded, his blush becoming redder. "H-heh... is that alright?" His smile lessened slightly, his nerves starting to get to him.

Knuckles noticed how nervous his friend was. "Oh, n-no... it's f-fine."

 _Maybe..._ _maybe I love him too?_ Suddenly, what the fortune teller said was starting to make sense. _"Closer than you think."_

 _Of course! Maybe she meant that the person I'm supposed to be with was...right next to me?_

He gazed at Sonic for a moment, his face flushing even more.

 _Well...here goes nothing._

Before he could change his mind, he leaned over and kissed Sonic... on the lips, like lovers do.

Sonic perked up immediately, realizing that his feelings were returned. He wrapped his arms around Knuckles, then kissed back. It was funny to think that he didn't know what love was until just a few hours ago. Now, he could experience it for real, and it was better than he thought.

Knuckles closed his eyes as he took in the sensation of his very first kiss. He felt like he had a swarm of butterflies in his stomach. He'd seen some couples kiss before, but never would he have thought that he too would get to experience it.

Sonic chuckled lightly as he pulled away, unable to lessen the huge grin on his face. "Thanks. I feel much better now!"

Knuckles' face was flushed, but he smiled. "G-good, glad I could h-help."

"You were the only one who could, heh," Sonic told him. He stared back out at the fireworks, then lightly placed his hand over Knuckles'. "So, does that make us... y'know?"

Knuckles felt the butterflies again. "I...I hope so." He wrapped his hand around Sonic's.

"Then I guess we are," Sonic said happily, leaning onto Knuckles slightly. He then shrugged. "I can't imagine what everyone in the castle'll think, but it doesn't really matter t'me."

"When are you gonna tell them?" Knuckles asked. He was very nervous about how everyone would react to the prince dating a peasant.

Sonic looked up at him. "Dunno. Guess there's no easy way to say it, huh?" He sighed. "Doesn't really help that we're both guys..."

He gripped Knuckles' hand reassuringly. "But if one thing's for sure, it's that we're not splittin' up, got it?"

Knuckles smiled at him. "Got it."

Sonic smiled back, then stared out at the town. "Y'know, I never really wanted to be a prince, but y'could prob'ly guess that already," he said with a chuckle. "I never understood all the royalty stuff; bein' all cooped up in that castle's a pain without you there. I'm more of a 'see the world' type of guy."

Knuckles blushed. "We didn't even meet that long ago, but I already can't imagine life without you."

Sonic blushed red and averted his gaze to hide it. "K-Knuuux," he muttered, clearly flustered.

Knuckles giggled at Sonic's flustered state. He reached over and wrapped an arm around him.

"This has been the best night ever," he said. "Thanks, Sonic."

Sonic smiled at him, placing his hands on the arm that was holding him. "Heh, I agree. Thanks to you too."

He nuzzled his boyfriend's arm slightly. "Y'know... if they won't be able to deal with us, we could always run," he suggested, looking unsure, but also fairly positive. "My crown might be worth something. We could go somewhere together."

Knuckles was surprised by this. "You'd really do that? For...for me?"

Sonic grinned. "Why wouldn't I? You think I'd rather be rich and royal than be with you? Yeah right!" He laughed playfully at the idea.

"It's just..." Knuckles replied, "...you'd be giving up everything!"

"Not _everything_ ," Sonic pointed out, placing a hand to his chest and smiling. "Just the not-important stuff."

Knuckles blushed. "Where will we go, though?"

"I dunno," Sonic admitted. "I guess we'd go to somewhere a few towns away and just... see what happens."

He got out of Knuckles' grasp, then smirked confidently. "Check it! I can be the world's fastest delivery man!"

He sped about on the roof a few times, then chuckled. Knuckles grinned at this.

"I wonder what I could do!" He put a hand to his chin as he thought. "What job would they hire a tall buff guy for?"

Sonic thought for a moment, then smiled at him. "Well, y'make the perfect boyfriend."

Knuckles blushed even more. "A-ah, stop it," he said with a chuckle.

"And what'll you do if I don't?" Sonic asked with a playful grin.

"I-I, um..." Knuckles had no idea how to respond. "...k-kiss you, I guess?"

"Heh, I wouldn't complain," Sonic said, walking up and affectionately hugging Knuckles. "...Thanks again, Knux."

Knuckles returned the embrace. "Thank you, too."

He kissed Sonic on the head, then blushed again.

Sonic blushed back. "H-hehe." He stared back at the fireworks still going off, then sat down on Knuckles' lap. "Alright, so we'll get everything we'll need durin' the night, then sneak out before morning. How's that sound?"

Knuckles nodded. "Sounds good."

He wrapped his arms around Sonic and resumed watching the fireworks.


	5. Chapter 5

The two enjoyed the fireworks for a bit longer, then headed back into the castle. Sorting through the stuff didn't take too long, as there weren't many supplies they could've taken, but Sonic made sure to grab as many rings as he could and, of course, his crown, everything all together fitting in a bag slung around his shoulder.

They then snuck out, heading into the forest on the outskirts of the castle.

"I think this'll be exciting," Sonic commented. "I always wanted to learn about and explore new places."

"And it'll be even better since we're together!" Knuckles replied. "Right?"

Sonic nodded. "A'course!"

They walked for a little longer, but Sonic eventually began to yawn, getting tired. "Ugh, sorry, I'm alright. They never let me stay up so late, heh..."

Knuckles glanced over at him, concerned. "Do you need to stop?"

Sonic rubbed an eye. "Nah. If they end up searchin' for us, we'll get caught for sure. We're not far enough away." He hit his head, feeling stupid. "I shoulda just ran us to the next town; thought that a walk at night with ya would be... er... 'romantic' or somethin', but..."

Knuckles thought for a moment. Then he smiled as an idea came to him.

"I...I could carry you," he offered.

Sonic blushed. Admittedly, he'd like to be carried, but he also didn't want to trouble Knuckles. "Eheh, no, it's alright. I—" He yawned again.

 _...Shoot._

Knuckles chuckled. "Here."

He carefully picked up Sonic and continued walking, carrying his new boyfriend bridal style.

"A-ah, hey—mm..." Sonic flushed, looking extremely comfortable. "You sure?" he asked, though sleepily, relaxing into Knuckles' hold.

"Of course." Knuckles smiled warmly. "Which way do you wanna go?"

"Just, er... keep going straight this way. If I remember right, we should be at a town soon," he murmured, snuggling into Knuckles' chest.

"'Kay, got it!" Knuckles replied. "Just rest, buddy. I'll get us there in no time!"

Sonic blushed, then nodded his head and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Soon enough, Knuckles arrived at the town like Sonic said.

"Hey," he whispered, gently nuzzling Sonic. "We're here."

Sonic stirred, slowly opening his eyes. "Hm?"

He climbed out of Knuckles' grasp, then looked around. "Well, we can probably stay at an inn for the night," he suggested.

All of a sudden, his ear twitched as a familiar sound hit it. He glanced towards one of the alleys, then gazed back at Knuckles. "Hold on a sec, I'll be right back!"

He curled into a spin-dash, then frantically sped off.

Knuckles waited for him, wondering what was wrong.

A few minutes later, Sonic came back out of one of the alleys, a yellow-orange fox following him. Sonic removed something covering the fox's mouth, to which he seemed really grateful.

Sonic then took the fox's hand and walked up to Knuckles. Upon closer inspection, the fox actually had two tails. "Sorry for running off like that, Knux. I heard the sound of someone tying someone up; figured I knew what was happening. Luckily, I was right."

The fox smiled sheepishly, seeming to not be used to the attention he was getting. "Hiya. I'm Tails," he said, holding a hand out for Knuckles to shake.

"Nice to meet ya, Tails!" Knuckles shook his hand. "I'm Knuckles!"

"And I'm Sonic."

Tails smiled. "Thanks for saving me. I'm not very strong, so I get taken advantage of a lot."

Sonic frowned, able to relate. "So, there's no one around here to protect ya?"

Tails shook his head sadly. "Not really. I don't have parents or anyone like that." He perked up a little. "But I _am_ the local blacksmith, and I'm not too bad either, so I at least have a home. I just need to be careful going out... a-as you could probably tell..."

"Aw." Knuckles saddened a little at this. "We don't even have a home..."

Tails frowned. "You're certainly welcome to stay with me for a while. Just, ah... not for long, unfortunately."

Sonic tilted his head. "Something wrong?"

"Well, I'm planning on relocating soon. The business here isn't that great, so I want to move to a bigger town farther away."

Sonic blinked, then smirked at Knuckles, hoping they were having the same idea.

"Hey, we were planning on going to a town farther away too!" Knuckles grinned.

"Really?" Tails asked.

Sonic nodded. "Yup! Need some travelin' buddies?"

The fox smiled wide. "That'd be great! Here, I'll get you both settled in for the night." He gestured for them to follow, then headed down the pathway.

Sonic followed, then giggled. "How lucky are we, right?"

Knuckles smiled. "We sure are!"

Tails led them into his house, then gave a quick tour around. "There's only one bed, but one of you two can have it if you want," he said.

"You sure?" Sonic asked.

Tails nodded. "I'm gonna be up all night working on a few swords, so it wouldn't be in use anyway."

"Thanks then!" Sonic exclaimed. "Heh, I'm exhausted." Figuring that Knuckles would follow, he left for the bedroom.

Knuckles followed him into the room.

"Think there's room for both of us?" he asked with a smirk, gesturing towards the bed.

Sonic winked at him. "We'll make room if there isn't."

He crawled onto the bed, then held his arms out toward Knuckles.

Knuckles lay down on the bed and snuggled up to Sonic, wrapping his arms around him.

Sonic blushed, but cuddled into him. "Guess this our first time sharin' a bed for real, huh?"

Knuckles smiled sleepily. "Mmhmm."

He gave Sonic a light kiss on the head. "Goodnight."

Sonic smiled back, giving him a light kiss on the cheek in return. "Night..."

And they both slept happily together.


	6. Alternate Ending

Knuckles giggled at Sonic's flustered state. He reached over and wrapped an arm around him.

"This has been the best night ever," he said. "Thanks, Sonic."

Sonic smiled at him, placing his hands on the arm that was holding him. "Heh, I agree. Thanks to you too."

He nuzzled his boyfriend's arm slightly. "Y'know... if they won't be able to deal with us, we could always run," he suggested, looking unsure, but also fairly positive. "My crown might be worth something. We could go somewhere together."

Knuckles was surprised by this. "You'd really do that? For...for me?"

Sonic grinned. "Why wouldn't I? You think I'd rather be rich and royal than be with you? Yeah right!" He laughed playfully at the idea.

"It's just..." Knuckles replied, "...you'd be giving up everything!"

Sonic looked up at him, puzzled, then smiled softly. "You _are_ my everything, Knux."

Knuckles blushed hard, his muzzle turning about as red as the rest of him.

"A-ah, st-stop it..." It was _his_ turn to be flustered now.

Sonic laughed, then got up and hugged his boyfriend, finding him to be even cuter when he was so flustered. "Tell ya what, we'll stay here for a little longer to gather everything we need, then sneak out on some night, okay?"

"O-okay, sounds good." Knuckles smiled as he returned the embrace.

Sonic sighed happily. "Heh, best day ever, huh?" he asked, sitting down on Knuckles' lap once he released him.

"Sure is," Knuckles replied. He nuzzled Sonic affectionately.

Sonic giggled, nuzzling back despite how flustered he was. "Wanna stick around 'til the fireworks stop?" Honestly, it was more of an excuse, as he didn't quite want to leave the 'moment' yet.

"Sure!" Knuckles replied. These were his first fireworks after all, so he wanted to enjoy them for as long as he could. And besides, he was having a great time hanging out with his new boyfriend.

Once the fireworks stopped, Sonic left Knuckles' lap and took him back into his bedroom, letting out a small yawn before flopping down onto the sheets.

"Wonder if there'll be festivals like this in other towns." He had to admit that there'd be quite a few things he'd miss if he left, but he wouldn't mind at all as long as it was for Knuckles.

"...Oh!" He realized something and blushed, looking over at Knuckles. "So, uh... couples sleep together, right?"

"I think so..." Knuckles wasn't entirely sure. It felt right, though.

"Mmm... alright then." Sonic's nervousness quickly turned to affection as he held his hands out to Knuckles, flexing his fingers. "C'mon then. The bed's lonely with just me here," he said with a chuckle.

Knuckles giggled, then climbed into the bed.

Sonic wrapped his arms around his boyfriend affectionately, then touched their foreheads. He enjoyed Knuckles' warmth so much...

Knuckles kissed him between the ears.

"Goodnight," he said with a yawn.

Sonic's ears flittered happily from the kiss. He yawned as well, then curled up against Knuckles. "N...night..."

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Sonic and Knuckles, one of the castle maids had heard their confessions on the roof, and quickly fled to the throne room to inform the king and queen.

"He _what_!?" the king asked, shocked that his son would be so easily led to run away.

"And with a peasant boy, no less!" The queen was equally surprised.

The two rushed out and headed for Sonic's bedroom, determined to set things right.

However, when they opened the door, no words came out of their mouths.

Sonic was lying there peacefully, gently held in the arms of the 'peasant boy'. Neither looked like they had a care in the world, and the king and queen were reminded of their times together when they were young. They couldn't break that up. Just by seeing the two, they knew it was real love, no doubt about it. The two closed the door, looking at each other with a small smile.

The king wrapped an arm around his queen. "I'll talk to them in the morning. They don't need to go anywhere."

And then the two left, leaving Sonic and Knuckles to rest easy.


End file.
